Electronic Theses and Dissertations (Masters)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/37997
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Item Back from the Brink: De-escalation of Conflict During the Four Crises of the Taiwan Strait(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Tshabalala, Matshepo Kholofelo; Small, MichelleThe Taiwan Strait remains a critical flashpoint in East Asia, with significant implications for regional and global security. This study explores the Four Crises of the Taiwan Strait, investigating historical tensions, military strategies of brinkmanship and deterrence, and the diplomatic relations between the PRC, ROC and the USA. Through qualitative analysis, this paper endeavours to understand the causal mechanisms and strategies that have been employed to de-escalate conflict. Key aspects of this research include an examination of China's strategic objectives, the effectiveness of the use of brinkmanship to achieve these objectives, Taiwan's evolving political landscape and defence strategies, and the United States’ policy manoeuvres aimed at maintaining regional stability and protecting Taiwan. The study analyses incidents and crises to identify patterns and triggers of escalation and de-escalation. The findings highlight the importance of deterrence, diplomatic engagement, concession and appeasement. This study contributes to the broader discourse on conflict resolution and ongoing efforts to maintain peace and stability in the region.Item The moral permissibility of coercive treatment in psychiatry(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Talatala, Mvuyiso; Coates, AshleyThe advent of psychopharmacological interventions in the middle of the 20th century accompanied by the improvements in psychotherapy has improved the outcomes of treatment of mental illness from the dark days of chronic institutionalisation in mental asylums to the ushering in of an era of deinstitutionalisation. Today it is established that psychiatric treatment is beneficial to people with mental illness and untreated mental illness has negative biopsychosocial consequences. However, some people with severe mental illness such as those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder or other disorders such as anorexia nervosa, refuse psychiatric treatment despite its established benefits. In these cases, coercive treatment, which is involuntary psychiatric treatment without the patient’s consent, may be a consideration even if these people are not infringing on the rights of others. If coercive treatment is considered in these people with mental illness, there could be concerns about respect for autonomy and the infringement of coercive treatment on their rights. In this research report the autonomy of people with mental illness and the respect for their rights is weighed against the benefits of psychiatric treatment. It is argued that in some cases of mental illness the objection to psychiatric treatment may be non- autonomous as the person with mental illness may lack decisional capacity. It is further argued that psychiatric treatment has benefits that far outweigh the temporary infringement on rights by coercive treatment. The overall argument of this research report is therefore that coercive treatment in psychiatry is morally permissible, and that society has a moral obligation to treat people with mental illness even if that treatment includes coercive treatment in selected cases.Item Geek Culture and Art Therapy: Explorations of Gender Dysphoria Expressions(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Malatsi, Neville Modife; Mngomezulu, Nosipho; Wilhelm-Solomon, MatthewGender dysphoria is a psychologically distressing condition, which transgender people experience, as an incongruence between one’s natal sex and perceived gender identity. The standard medical reaffirmative interventions in treating gender dysphoria involve hormone replacement therapy, psychotherapy, and gender reassignment surgeries. However, not all transgender people choose to undergo medical reaffirmative treatments either because of inaccessibility to such treatments, lack of financial or informational sources, personal reasons, or the severe difficulties they experience in transitioning due to transphobia or discrimination. The purpose of this research report is to explore the creative ways transgender geeks employ to alleviate gender dysphoria and communicate lived experiences, especially when gender reassignment surgeries or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are unavailable. These creative ways may involve tropes within the geek subculture such as avatars, or character creation that conforms with one’s perceived gender, and role-playing in online video games and virtual environments that allow one to express their gender. Other creative ways include art as therapy through painting, writing, or journaling, as well as dressing up as a means of expressing one’s gender identity. The theoretical framework that informs this study is phenomenology which helps appraise or analyse the lived experiences of the research participants. A key concept that has helped shape the research approach is surfaces and depths in considering how the trans body and trans art as texts are read and interpreted in relation to passing or transitioning. There are four emerging themes in the overall study which include: time/temporality, genres of textual hybridity, geek subculture and identity, and art as therapy. The data for this project was collected through ‘deep- hanging out’ as a method of observation, fieldnotes, and semi-structured interviews with two participants, Archer and Kahless, both of whom are white transgender men from different socioeconomic brackets and identify as geeks or creatives. Additionally, autoethnography has been included as part of polyvocality and reflexivity. The ethnography is multi-sited in the suburbs of Roodepoort and Randburg where my participants reside. The findings in the ethnographic text have shown that both participants primarily engage in creative arts as a means of self-expression and secondarily as a way of 7 alleviating or communicating gender dysphoria. Art, therefore, fulfils two purposes for my research participants: as a form of therapy and for creative expression.Item Executive Functioning in a HIV-positive Paediatric Sample(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mes, Nike; Cockcroft, Kate; Zondo, SizweHigh prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) poses significant public health challenges in regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, especially among children and adolescents. Despite advancements in reducing vertical mother-to-child transmission and increasing access to antiretroviral therapies, paediatric populations continue to face substantial neurocognitive challenges associated with HIV infection. This study aimed to establish a profile of executive functioning in a South African paediatric population using cognitive measures (the NEPSY-II) and a behavioural rating scale (the BRIEF) to elucidate the cognitive impact of HIV. Assessing executive functions in children presents challenges due to their multifaceted nature, with cognitive measures and behavioural rating scales offering differing insights. As such, a secondary aim of this paper was to examine the inter-correlations between these measures. The participant group was comprised of 40 children living with HIV in Johannesburg, South Africa, aged 10-16. Normative data for comparisons were obtained from the NEPSY-II and BRIEF manuals, as well as a sample of NEPSY-II raw scores for South African youth without a central nervous system disease (Truter et al., 2017). Significant differences were found between the HIV+ group and comparison samples. Specifically, HIV+ children showed poorer performance in working memory, inhibitory control and cognitive flexibility compared to their typically developing peers. These results provide insights into executive function challenges faced by HIV+ children and adolescents, emphasising the importance of early intervention and support.Item The responses of the Gauteng Department of Social Development to homelessness during the COVID 19 lockdown: A case study of two Tshwane and Johannesburg homeless shelters(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ngcobo, Noluthando; Chilenga-Butao, ThokozaniHow homelessness presents itself in Gauteng is complex and to dissect this phenomenon, the study undertook to explore the responses and approaches to homelessness during the COVID 19 pandemic and from these, establish how the department conceptualizes homelessness, what policies informed the approaches, and lastly, explore whether these interventions were successful or not. Having used document analysis and semi-structured interviews with social workers, the study made key recommendations for the DSD to take into consideration for future interventions. Of great concern is the lack of policy and a legislative framework that guide strictly the DSD’s interactions with homeless people. The study further found that factors including unemployment, migration and urbanisation, and substance abuse are structural factors that attribute to the persistent nature of homelessness in Gauteng. If the DSD seeks to truly eradicate homelessness, the study recommends that more resources need to be invested into sustainable interventions, improving intergovernmental relations as the problem is greater than the confines of the department, and developing solid policy and legislation.Item The Efficacy of Migration Policies in Addressing Migration Issues: An Analysis on the Situation of Zep Holders(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Ndebele, NomazuluThis study comprehensively analyses the efficacy of migration policies in ensuring the welfare of ZEP holders in South Africa by examining the intersection between migration, policies, and life experiences of ZEP holders. Using a qualitative research method to compare the experiences of ZEP and non-ZEP holders, this study explores the challenges and opportunities faced by Zimbabwean migrants with different legal statuses against inconsistent migration regulations and changing socioeconomics. This study reveals the importance of legal migration status in shaping the lives of migrants and the impact of migration policies on ZEP holders. The study further emphasises the consideration of different experiences of ZEP holders, ranging from labour migrants to asylum seekers, where different migrant categories were mixed under one migration regulation program. It is against the grouping of different migrant categories under the ZEP program and calls for inclusive and sustainable policies, emphasising addressing migration problems from their root cause to ensuring migrant welfare in the host country.Item Principles to guide media practitioners in ethical decision-making in real time(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Sullivan, Peter John; Allais, LucyThis research paper defines a set of five principles, summarised as five questions, to guide media practitioners to ethical decisions under deadline pressure. They are: 1. Truth – does this attempt to tell the truth? 2. Integrity – does this compromise the integrity of the reporter or newspaper? 3. Respect – does this respect everyone involved? 4. Fairness – is this fair to all? 5. Readers’ interests – is this in the interests of the readers? Selected guides for uncovering principles are selected and deconstructed. The three main ones are Beauchamp and Childress’s “Principles of Biomedical Ethics”, “The Satchwell Report on Media Ethics,” and “The South African Press Council Code of Ethics and Behaviour.” The Press Council’s Code of Ethics helps uncovering the five principles, Satchwell is less helpful and Beauchamp and Childress provide the useful methodology used in the paper. Principlism itself is analysed and critiqued by five philosophers. It is finally considered useful in the limited way required by the demands of quick ethical decisions. Previous studies are found wanting in positing principles. Interrogation of moral virtues like justice, beneficence and nonmaleficence shine some light on the quest for principles. Examining utilitarianism, Kantianism, rights theory and virtue ethics proves helpful. Six practical dilemmas are discussed and decision-taking measured against the five principles. The search for ethical perfection will never end, but principles suggested in this paper may help guide those journalists looking for a mapItem Testing machine learning algorithms for classifying authority in a hybrid institutional complex(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Manoim, RosaThe growing diversity of institutions that make up Hybrid Institutional Complexes involved in global governance has meant growing masses of raw data. Although these forms of institutions are some of the most important contemporary governance bodies, that have not yet been adequately analysed in the literature. Annual Reports, meeting minutes, policy documents and Codes are constantly being produced and published by these institutions, but this data is not in a form useful for statistical analysis. The use of hand-coding techniques for textual data is extraordinarily time consuming, a problem that is exacerbated in a swiftly changing field where data collection and classification could easily fall behind the ongoing shifts in institutional collaboration. In order to keep up with the increasing complexity of these global governance bodies, research methodology needs to evolve accordingly, and develop new ways of capturing information about these institutions. By harnessing machine learning algorithms and especially deep learning networks for classifying textual-data, social scientists are able to deepen their research, particularly by creating new, usable datasets from the output documents of the institutions they research. This report demonstrates how the output documents released by the institutions in the global private security governance institutional complex can be successfully classified by machine learning algorithms. This research report focuses on developing, and then assessing the effectiveness of an automated text classification approach. It demonstrates how a deep neural network algorithm can classify textual data from the global private security governance complex with up to 90% accuracy compared to expert labelling of the texts. It further compares traditional machine learning models to deep learning models and finds that traditional models like the random forest algorithm can classify these texts with over 85% accuracy.Item The experiences of learners from low socio-economic backgrounds in one suburban high school in Gauteng(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Chiramba, Rumbidzaishe; Petersen, LaetitiaThe aim of this study was to understand the experiences of learners coming from low socio- economic backgrounds in one suburban high school in Gauteng, South Africa. This was achieved through the consideration of hardships and successes the learners face within their home and school environments. The qualitative method and phenomenological research design were used. The population was learners who are exempted from paying school fees due to their low socio-economic status. Purposive sampling was used to select six participants. The data collection methods used were semi structured interviews, conducted in person. The research instrument was an interview schedule. The research was underpinned by the Person in environment approach, which was used to understand how the participants’ environments affect their current and lived experiences. The data analysed indicated that learners coming from low socio-economic backgrounds experience some adversities. Despite the challenges that the learners face, they are all determined to do well in school, matriculate successfully, further their studies and start working jobs which will allow them to elevate their economic status and help their families out of their current financial situations. A big contributor to the learners’ positive attitudes is the fact that they have support structures as well as strength and protective factors within their various environments. These are in the form of their family, friends, loved ones, as well as their teachers, staff members, and the school as a whole. There is a need for further longitudinal and wide-ranging studies of these learners.Item Understanding the impact of multinational military interventions on the status of local women. A case study analysis of Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024) Mutongerwa, Rumbidzayi VictoriaThe research analyses the impact of multinational military intervention on local women’s status in Afghanistan (2001), Iraq (2003) and Libya (2011). Women are the study's primary focus because they are disproportionately impacted by violent conflict, which exacerbates already-existing prejudice and gender inequities. Their political, economic, educational, healthcare and security status are analysed. The research examines their status in the two years before the interventions, during the occupation and one year after the withdrawal of troops. The before and after case study method is used in the analysis. This method compares observations made before and after the implementation of an intervention to determine the impact of the intervention. The Gender Development Index, Gender Inequality Index and the Women’s Political Empowerment Index are used in the analysis. Gender disparities in human development are measured by the Gender Development Index (GDI) in three main areas: education (mean and projected years of schooling), economic position (estimated earned income), and health (life expectancy). A greater GDI denotes less gender gaps and better overall gender equality. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) gauges gender-based disparities in three important domains: economic activity (labor market participation rates), empowerment (the share of women holding parliamentary seats and women’s educational attainment in secondary and higher education), and reproductive health (the maternal mortality ratio and adolescent birth rates). Greater gender disparity in these domains is indicated by a higher GII score. The V-Dem Women's Political Empowerment Index assesses women's political empowerment by examining their involvement and representation in political processes, access to power and resources, and influence over political decisions. It considers issues such as women's suffrage, representation in parliament, and the degree to which women can participate in civil society groups and influence policymaking. The research finds that while some improvements to women’s status were made during the occupation period, women’s status mainly diminished after withdrawal. The study recommends that in future, intervening states should consider the long-term effects of interventions on women, understand the cultural contexts of target states before intervention, promote transparency and accountability concerning policy initiatives and programs and involve women in the peace and security processes.